Everyone has that one relative who is completely content with their phone and doesn’t see why they have to upgrade. Or maybe you know someone who is…clumsy and needs a sturdy phone that can’t be destroyed in the course of everyday use. AT&T’s got you covered with the new Samsung Galaxy A13 5G, a phone that comes in at a very wallet-friendly $249.99 upfront or just $6.95 per month!
At the yearly Snapdragon Summit, we’ve come to expect news regarding Qualcomm’s upcoming mobile platforms that will be powering soon-to-be-released flagship mobile devices, and this year was no exception; we now have the Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 Mobile Platform to anticipate. Building on the success of the Snapdragon 888+ 5G system on chip, Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 is touted as able to deliver even faster 5G speeds, create more impressive photographs and video, take AI experiences to new levels, and yes, it will also provide more visually stimulating and immersive gaming experiences.
When I reviewed the 4G Xiaomi 11 Lite, I said that Xiaomi is a brand that more of us in the United States should become familiar with and pay attention to, and that has never been more true. The Xiaomi 11T and 11T Pro were announced in September; I have the 11T in hand, so let’s take a look at this affordable 5G smartphone, and see if it might be an option for you.
TCL Mobile makes gorgeous smartphones. Their regular TCL Mobile lines are fairly budget-friendly, but they’re taking it to a new level with two new prepaid versions of their phones; the TCL 20XE for Metro by T-Mobile and Boost Mobile and the TCL 20A 5G coming to Visible.com.
TCL has been making affordable and impressive smartphones for some time, and they’re bringing that same magical mix to the tablet world. The TCL TAB Pro 5G is a tablet that will blow you away without blowing up your wallet!
The wait is over, and the Google Pixel 6 series has now been officially launched for pre-order. With a new Tensor Chip designed by Google and custom-made for the Pixel, this smartphone series promises the most advanced Pixel camera and features, live translate (even when you are offline!), powerful performance, and next-gen Titan M2 Security. If you are an AT&T customer, they make it easy to get a Google Pixel 6 series device in your hands!
I covered a brief history of Samsung’s journey that led us to the Galaxy Z Fold3 yesterday; let’s pick up where we left off. The Samsung Galaxy Z Fold3 ships in a surprisingly small, shallow box. Being used to so many smartphones coming in much larger packaging, this was kind of refreshing. Most people I know either throw the boxes away anyway or store them somewhere until they eventually sell their phone on eBay, anticipating their next upgrade. I’m fine with the slightly austere packaging, even on such a pricy phone.
If you had told me six months ago that I would be completely enamored with an oversized folding smartphone — a true phablet (phone+tablet) — I would have laughed at you; now, the joke is on me. I’ve been using an AT&T Samsung Galaxy Z Fold3 for almost two months, and it has redefined everything I’ve ever thought I would ever want in a smartphone. This review will be a long one, which is why I’m splitting it into two parts.
For some people, Nokia conjures up visions of indestructible phones where one could play hours of Snake. For others, it’s smartphones that pushed the envelope in interesting ways. No matter what, the point is that Nokia has always meant quality for the price, and their new management under HMD Global is continuing that tradition. They’ve just announced the new Nokia T20, and with a starting price of $249.99, it looks impressive!
As you may recall from my Google Pixel 5 review, I wasn’t a fan of not having an XL version option, and I didn’t care for the under-display ear speaker. The Google Pixel 5a addresses those complaints well with its 6.34″ display and a more conventional ear speaker; it also introduces IP67 water resistance to the budget-friendly a-series. If you don’t mind giving up wireless charging, the Google Pixel 5a has a lot to offer — including the largest battery found in any Pixel device yet.
If a large display with a fast refresh rate, a speedy processor, and a solid camera for content creation on the go is essential to you, then you’ll want to take a look at the two new Xiaomi 11T series devices launched today. Both the 11T and the 11T Pro offer what Xiaomi calls “Cinemagic” cameras; they say you can leave the expensive video and photography equipment at home (or better yet, not buy it in the first place), go out and explore and get your best shots. Best of all, both phones are affordable.
There are plenty of good reasons people develop a fondness for a particular brand; maybe it’s because the company’s hardware is always top-notch, their pricing is reasonable, or they have excellent customer service when something goes wrong. But the singular feature that’s made it hard for me to consider using any smartphone other than a Google Pixel as my daily driver isn’t related to hardware, pricing, or customer service. As I mentioned in our Google Pixel 4, Pixel 4a, and Pixel 5 reviews, beyond Pixel’s excellent cameras and pure Android experience, their killer feature is Call Screen.
It’s easy to get caught up in the excitement of the newest and flashiest smartphones. But the best technology from prior years’ phones eventually trickles down to more wallet-friendly options as well. Combine that with AT&T’s drive to bring everyone with prepaid onto their 5G network and you get the shockingly affordable AT&T Radiant Max 5G!
The realme GT Explorer Master Edition has a solidly built glass slab design with an aluminum frame, as we’ve seen from just about every other brand’s flagship smartphone, or you can opt for something a bit different if you get it in the Voyager Gray option. As I catch myself admiring this smartphone’s expensive feel, brilliant display, and curved edges, I have to remind myself that with starting price of $499 for the 8GB RAM with 256GB user memory version, the GT Explorer Master Edition is a very decently priced flagship device. Who is realme? And why should you consider…
It’s safe to say we’ve hit a point with smartphones where what makes a phone stand out is created on the margins. In other words, all phones are big slabs of glass with nice big screens, so what makes them stand out is what else they bring, from battery life to amazing cameras. Honor Magic 3 series is taking that to a whole new level with a camera they’re calling IMAX-enhanced for filmmaking, unlike anything you’ve been able to do before on a smartphone!
5G has gone from the “next big thing” to the default for all new devices in a very short time. Carriers are even offering customers deals to get them onto 5G devices, and there’s absolutely no reason in 2021 to buy a phone that does not support 5G. MediaTek is on it with their new Dimensity 920 and 810 chipsets!
Today’s Galaxy Unpacked event introduced the latest Samsung Galaxy Z Fold3 5G and Galaxy Z Flip3 5G. Samsung has made these third-generation foldables more durable — they are even water-resistant now. So if you’ve considered the previous generations of the Galaxy Z folding smartphones but weren’t quite compelled to buy one yet — whether because of their prohibitive prices, their perceived delicateness, or because you felt the technology was still too new — I suspect that you’ll be interested in today’s reveal.
If you want more proof that the smartphones we routinely see in the US aren’t quite as exciting as the smartphones other countries have to choose from, take a look at the brand new Xiaomi MIX 4. Not only does this phone have a durably elegant and lightweight ceramic unibody, but it also has a 6.67’’ AMOLED full-screen display with the latest CUP (Camera Under Panel) technology. That means there’s no blacked-out front-facing camera area when you’re looking at the display. But there is plenty more to be impressed by with this latest Xiaomi device.
Whether you’re using them for remote work, school, or at your business, for gaming, or consuming media, tablets have really proven their worth. The MediaTek Kompanio 1300T is a system on a chip (SoC) that will bring a premium experience to tablet users with its advanced 5G multimedia, AI, and gaming technologies.
Here’s a fun fact for you: Toyota designs their Lexus and Toyota logos to be the same size; it’s so they can easily swap the designs. Yes, a Lexus will be nicer, but why design two different steering wheels if the same dimensions can work for both brands? At the same time, you’d probably feel pretty dumb and angry if you bought a Lexus from a dealer only to discover they had charged you Lexus prices for an old Corolla with a Lexus badge. And if that sounds far-fetched, well, just ask anyone who was suckered into buying a Freedom…
It’s easy to get caught up in the idea that you don’t need to know what’s under the hood of your phone. It makes calls, and it takes pictures; what else do you need to know? But phones are the center of so much of our lives that getting the best bang for your buck matters, even if it’s not a flagship phone. And that’s why MediaTek has the new Helio G96 and Helio G88 chipsets.